Little Brother
by Buffy Winchester
Summary: Spoilers for seasons 1-7 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and 1-6 of Supernatural. Buffy pulls Adam out of Hell and becomes his honorary big sister.
1. Adam's Unbirthday

_May 2011_

"Happy birthday!"

Adam glanced up at the women - blonde, brunette, redhead - each holding a wrapped present. "Guys... uh, women. Sorry. It's not my birthday."

"Sure it is." Buffy Summers insisted. "Exactly one year ago today, we got you out of Hell."

"Where you weren't even supposed to be in the first place." Dawn blurted. "Your older brother was supposed to do it. It's not right for you to have to take his place and die when he was supposed to be the one who -"

"Dawnie." Buffy gave her sister a warning look and shook her head.

"Well, anyway, just open the presents."

Adam smiled as he reached for the gifts they were holding out to him. Last year, he had only been in Hell for a few hours when the three of them pulled him out. They gave him the option of going off on his own, but he had nowhere else he really could have gone. His mom's home was probably either for sale or sold by now, and he didn't want to be there anyway. The only other family he had left was Dean, and he didn't want to be around him any more than Dean wanted him around. The way he figured it, if his oldest brother really wanted to get him out, he could have looked into it a little bit harder and done whatever Buffy and Willow had managed to do.  
So he asked if he could go with them, instead. And in the last year, he had learned hand-to-hand combat, some sword-fighting techniques, and had become one of their best researchers.

Now he had a family. Instead of two brothers, he had at least two dozen sisters; women who would talk to him over dinner before they went out to fight the evil that had caused so much pain in his life these last few years. The other faces changed from time to time, but Buffy, Willow, and Dawn were always there.

He opened Willow's gift first. She was more patient than Buffy and Dawn, but he liked making the other two squirm a little. She had given him a leather-bound journal, similar to the one that his own father kept. He glanced up at her, not sure what to say.

"I've seen you taking notes on stuff lately." Willow said quickly. "I thought it would be nice if you had a place to keep everything together. And I know about John. But Giles keeps a lot of these, too. He writes down everything."

Adam nodded and set the journal aside. It wasn't that he was ungrateful for the gift - he loved it. But he felt like there was more going on here. Some kind of finality that made his stomach hurt a little.

Dawn handed him the next gift. He unwrapped this one a little more slowly, actually hoping to find some kind of joke present like one of those slinky things that popped out of a jar when you opened it.  
The box held a license plate with a key taped to it. When he picked up the plate, he saw a bunch of keychains underneath it.

"I wasn't sure which one you would like, so I bought a lot of them." Dawn explained.

"Guys." Adam frowned. This time, he didn't care that Willow was frowning back at him for using the masculine term that she hated. "What is this really about? And don't say it's a birthday celebration, because that's bullshit. Just tell me you want me gone, and I'll go."

"No." Buffy shook her head. "That's not it. One year ago, you could have gone anywhere in the world. You chose to stay with us. You didn't have to learn any of what we do. But you have. And you're great at it."

"Then why..." Adam trailed off, getting choked up. He felt like a little kid.

"Open the last box." Buffy smiled and handed it to him.

Adam ripped the wrapping paper to shreds, hoping to find an answer in the box that would fill him with relief. He yanked the lid off and threw it over his shoulder, ignoring the giggling he heard in front of him.  
He pulled each thing out one at a time. There was a picture of a car, a road atlas, a few credit cards, and a cell phone.  
He sat back and looked up at them. "How is this not a message that you want me gone?"

"Look at the credit cards again." Buffy laughed.

He did, and each one had Buffy A Summers printed across the bottom. Silently, he looked back up at her.

"We've got enough slayers to cover every hellmouth in the world. I wouldn't mind traveling. I'm going to need a Watcher, and someone who can drive, since I don't. I'd like for you to go with me. And maybe we'll run into this brother of yours somewhere, so I can kick his ass." Buffy tilted her head. "What do you think?"

And just like he had one year ago today, Adam only had to think for a minute before he responded. "I've got nowhere else I really need to be."


	2. Guy For Dummies

"How did your brothers do this?" Buffy asked. They had been on the road for five hours, but the radio had been off for one. It seemed like the further south they went, the less likely they would find music they could tolerate.

"I have no idea. I know they did, but that's the gist of what they were willing to tell me. I really only spent a few hours with them, and they weren't very talkative. I was their hostage, I guess." Adam frowned. "Actually? I thought I had made it clear, but sometimes you..." He looked over at Buffy.

"Need Cliff's Notes on Guy?" Buffy finished. "Yeah, that wouldn't hurt."

Adam laughed. "Yeah. Guy for Dummies."

Buffy shook her head. "Don't say dummies... just explain."

"I wasn't trying to offend you." Adam looked concerned. "Anyway, what I was saying was, from the time that ghoul attacked me, until I met you, Dawn, and Willow, it felt like one bad thing after another. Everything kept getting worse, too. So..."

"So you love us." Buffy smiled.

"Like you're my sisters. Not like I want to..." He chuckled.

"What?"

"Something that angel said to me. About my brothers. He called them erotically co-dependent."

Buffy wrinkled her nose. 'Eww. What does that even mean? Do they... oh, nevermind. I don't care."

"I heard a rumor about you and a couple of vampires. Don't you already know what erotically co-dependent means?" Adam grinned when Buffy lifted one finger in response.

"I just want to get some place we can stop for a little while." Buffy looked out the window.

"I'll get us there." Adam nodded. He turned the radio on again, then smiled and turned the volume almost all the way up.

Buffy reached for the volume control, then pouted as she looked at her hand. She sat back reluctantly and muttered to herself.

Adam turned the volume down a little. "What? I didn't hear you."

"If it's too loud, you re too old." Buffy repeated. "My age is showing. This sucks."

Adam laughed. "You're not too old. My brothers introduced me to a hunter that's a lot older than you. If he can do it, you can too. Besides, you have those kick-ass super powers." He had been scared when he first found out that Buffy and the other slayers got their power from demons. But he had plenty of time to think it over and realized that those same powers were the ones that had yanked him out of Hell, so he couldn't complain too much.

"Just make it a place with room service, please. If I have to eat one more fast food cheeseburger, I m going to be sick. Besides, there s no telling what's in those things."

Adam glanced over at Buffy. "You remind me of both of them, a little. I mean, from what I remember. It s not much. When you get mad, you get this scowl that Dean had. But you stop fights between the other slayers with this kind of tone in your voice that seems like Sam." He turned the radio off when it went to static. "I'm sorry if it bothers you that I bring them up sometimes."

"They're your family." Buffy murmured. "It's okay that you're looking for familiar stuff." She sat up in her seat, distracted by a glowing hotel sign. "There! Go!"

Adam laughed again as he changed lanes. "Am I your watcher or your chauffeur?"

"Both. Driving makes me uncomfortable. You're pretty much completely at the mercy of a mechanical beast that you have to control, and if some demon tries to attack you, you're screwed. But see, with you driving and me killing, we can't lose."

Adam pulled into the hotel parking lot and leaned back in his seat as Buffy went into the hotel to check in.


	3. Supernatural by Carver Edlund

What the hell is this? Buffy blurted, staring at the bookshelf in front of her.

Adam leaned forward, putting his hand on her shoulder. Supernatural by Carver Edlund?

Buffy handed one of the books to Adam. About Sam and Dean.

What? Adam frowned. That s stupid. I mean, it doesn t mean anything. It s a coincidence.

Sam and Dean in a Chevrolet Impala, going around and hunting demons. Buffy looked annoyed. They re making money off of what they re doing?

No. Adam shook his head and showed her the publication year for the first book. I ve met them, remember? I don t think Dean would be capable of writing a novel. Sam, maybe.

You d better get those before the price goes up. The brunette employee told them as she opened a box nearby. Carver Edlund disappeared about a year ago. I figure it s only a matter of time before they find his corpse somewhere, and then they re going to jack up the cost of those novels.

Buffy nudged Adam, then went off to get a basket.

Adam crouched by the teen. Can I help you with those?

Oh. I d say yes, but we re not supposed to do that. She held her hand out to him. I m Beth.

Adam. He shook her hand, then stood up when she did, stepping over the box to follow her around one of the shelves.

There s an Adam in the books. Beth glanced over at him. I read them, but I don t really like them. I kept waiting for them to get better, but it was all crapsack world stuff.

I know. Adam muttered. It took a few more seconds before her words really registered, and then Buffy was catching his shoulders as he started to faint. He heard Beth asking if he was okay, and Buffy asking where the nearest couch was. When he finally was able to breathe normally, Buffy held a bottle of water out to him.

Whatever she said to you must have really freaked you out. Buffy commented.

I m in the books. Everything I went through might be in there. Adam cleared his throat and took a gulp of water.

We ll read them and see. Buffy sighed. This is weird. I ve never had to deal with this kind of thing before. Well, maybe sort of. But in reverse.

Dracula? Adam smiled when Buffy looked startled. I read Giles journals about you.

Buffy laughed a little. I didn t think about it, but I guess there are books about me then, huh? It s a good thing these stores are enormous and I have no idea where to find the Celtic lore section. This might help us find your brother, if that s something you still want to do.

I don t know if it is. Adam said quietly. He stood up. I could find Bobby s house. I just haven t bothered going there. I don t even know if he s alive, either.

Where does he live?

Some place in South Dakota. Adam looked around, then pointed out the mythology section.

Buffy followed Adam and opened a book, looking through the contents to see if it was something she wanted. She closed it and put it into the basket, with the Carver Edlund novels. We don t have to go there if you don t want to. We don t even have to hurry to get there. I ve been wanting to see different things around the country.

Like what, a giant ball of rubber bands? Adam snorted.

No. Not unless we need to use it as a weapon.

What kind of demon fears rubber bands? Adam blurted, then laughed. You re screwing with me right now, aren t you?

Maybe a little. Buffy smiled. I want to see different stuff. Not lame-o tourist attractions. I meant things like the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building. She turned around and started walking toward the checkout line.

Adam followed, not wanting to hurt her feelings and tell her that the places she wanted to visit were tourist traps in their own right.

Could you go get an atlas? Buffy asked. And a few blank notebooks or journals.

What are you planning?

The line moved forward. I ll tell you later. Buffy called over her shoulder.

A few minutes later, they got back into the car with one over-sized bag of books and pens. Buffy set it down on the floorboard. I was thinking we could take notes on all of the places in the novels. Maybe if we trace where they ve been, we can get a better idea of where Dean might be.

Like what, then? Supernatural, the tour?

Buffy smiled. Sure.

Is that really going to give us much time for meeting up with other slayers or looking for things to slay ourselves? Yourself, I mean. Count me out of that.

You can sit out if you want, but you re good with a sword, and backup doesn t hurt to keep around. Buffy fastened her seatbelt. I thought you came with me so that we could spend time traveling and seeing stuff we didn t get to while we were stuck in Cleveland.

Adam gestured to the steering wheel in front of him. I m driving. You came with me.

Do you really want to argue this with me? Buffy s eyebrow raised as she looked over at him. My name is the one on the credit cards. I paid for the hotel.

You couldn t have gotten there without me driving. Adam countered, backing out of the parking space.

I guess you want to go hungry for awhile. Buffy laughed. Try getting food without my money.

Adam snorted. Like I ve never shoplifted before.

See? You do need my help. I m keeping you from a life of crime.

Adam glanced over at Buffy, not sure what to say.

I win. Buffy grinned.

He laughed, then looked serious. You do know that I m grateful to you and Willow, right? It was... He

Hell? Buffy supplied, nodding. I figured that out awhile ago. You don t have to talk about it if you don t want to.

Sometime I will want to. Adam promised. 


End file.
